Shareena Ali

Defined and advanced all aspects of global PR for the destination awareness of Yas Island and its hotels and assets; Ferrari World, CLYMB, Warner Bros, Yas WaterWorld, Yas Mall, W Hotel Yas Hotels, Yas Marina, Yas Links.
• PR/Influencer Marketing: Developed global and regional strategies, budgets, processes, standards, and infrastructure to deliver world class PR and Influencer Advocacy and celebrity visits.
• PR Agency/Team infrastructure Development: Procured global agencies to expand source market PR for destinations in China, India, Uk, Germany, UAE, GCC. Hired PR team to deliver high level pr activities.
• Pre-launch PR development for newly branded destination Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi and its assets including Jumeriah Hotel, Rixos Hotel, St Regis Hotel, Saadiyat Beach Club, Louvre, Manarat, NYU, Berklee, across key source markets: UAE, GCC, India, China, Russia, CIS, Germany, UK to increase share of voice.
• Stakeholder Management: Developed strong relationships with destination assets, hotels, theme parks, malls, Miral, Etihad Airways and DCT (Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi) to leverage pr campaigns, joint campaigns, celebrity visits, pr amplification with PR storytelling, photoshoots and broadcast opportunities.
• Influencer/Media Relations/Film Shoots. Managed international media relations including influencers, celebrities, TV, film and print, and built relationships from scratch with global media across all backgrounds and industries.
• Crisis Comms: Developed destination Crisis Comms Manuel during Covid-19 outbreak on Yas Island. Strategically advised and trained C-suite leadership on consistent global crisis management.

Led 23 city Heads of Marketing to drive 360 PR, brand communication market penetration campaigns and increase share of voice, global category growth, and market entry development for rapid global expansion.
• Communications: Maximised local and global public and influencer relations and successfully managed brand storytelling to accelerate brand awareness globally. Developed and executed global communication across B2C and B2B to support business objectives, with relevant in-market delivery for global coverage in 23 cities.
• PR/Influencer Marketing: Developed global and regional strategies, processes, standards, and infrastructure for global in-city teams to deliver world class PR and Influencer Marketing. Trained 23 Heads of Marketing on press release writing, pitching, influencer marketing and media list development.
• Social: Accomplished increase in social reach of 493%, engagement of 564%, impressions year-on-year by 1919%, and web retargeting revenue from £43, 128 to £189, 151 with ROAS of 3039%. Amplified brand awareness, SEO, and online sales by consolidating individual social pages to one global account, developing a social tone of voice and brand personality, directing paid media spend and innovative creative asset creation for brand awareness and sales KPIs.
• Influencer/Media Relations/Film Shoots. Managed international media relations including influencers, celebrities, TV, film and print, and built relationships from scratch with global media across all backgrounds and industries.
• Corporate Communications: Developed thought leadership across multiple channels to secure high-profile features and speaking opportunities at global conferences and industry events, built C-suite profiles through strategic industry trend led articles and corporate press including, Sunday Times, Forbes and IB Times
• Crisis Comms: Strategically advised and trained C-suite leadership on consistent global crisis management for various situations, including terror incidents, as well as developing crisis communications framework and manual.
• Global Brand, Social, and PR Strategies: Developed and delivered global brand, increasing market share, global category growth, and market entry development, in addition, drove 360 brand communication market penetration campaigns across all markets in collaboration with agents, partners, and agencies. Analyzed market research to forecast trends and determine optimal corporate direction and message.
• 360 Strategic Brand/Product: Spearheaded research in brand positioning and audience insights, leading brand re-invention and new product strategy, as well as the development and delivery of new brand vision, values, culture, guidelines, and brand assets across B2B and B2C in 23 cities with multiple brand touchpoints.

• 360 strategic: Leadership role providing strategic counsel to senior management. Responsible for driving the brand forward with a consistent strategy across online marketing, PR, web communications, loyalty marketing social media and event management through analysing the company's SWOT. Working with peers to further the mission and goals of the company.
• New Business & Lead Generation: Proactively drove the development of the company's client base, identifying potential new clients using social hearing, industry research and targeted marketing, with an increase of 500% in new business.
• Proposal writing and Pitch Involvement: Produced well-written proposals of a high standard with no supervision. A proficient, convincing presenter, acted as a key player in new business pitches with strong, logical arguments. Clients include Tesco and J.D Wetherspoons. Understood complex business for new business pitches, understanding issues outside of own area of expertise.
• Client relations: Develop and maintain extremely strong interpersonal relationships with senior-level clients. Market knowledge - developed in-depth knowledge of several market sectors, and referred to for specialist information.
• Branding: Responsible for rebranding strategy both online and offline across all marketing channels as well as producing brand guidelines. Developed and implemented regional and local marketing activity plans in line with the brands business plan and objectives.
• Team Management: Provided daily leadership, direction and guidance and reorganised a team of 10 to share responsibilities and learn new skills, overseeing and mentoring progress. Active role in recruitment of new team.
• Social media: Developed social media channels and blog, providing engaging and innovative content for customer base.
• Sponsorship and Awards: Worked closely with third party suppliers, media, associations to identify sponsorship and award opportunities to leverage the brand, reach new audiences and develop brand associations.
• PR and events: Developed and implemented PR strategy to create key seasonal hooks for maximum brand noise and PR coverage and to enter new markets. Worked closely with bloggers, media and VIPs. Significantly grew the online customer database through the development of annual PR and events strategy, loyalty marketing and regional media and brand collaborations. Proactive and responsive media relations, planned and secured appearances and features, including TV and radio appearances, interviews, industry events and panels and other opportunities to gain exposure. Develop and implement a PR strategy to create key seasonal hooks for maximum brand noise and PR coverage. Updated media perceptions of the brand through impactful, innovative and relevant content. Implemented consistent reporting for all activities.
• Property: Promotion of 13 property projects, commercial and residential, working with various suppliers, agencies and budgets.
• Beauty: Promoted non-surgical aesthetics to media including How to Spend it magazine and Hello! Magazine, Grazia, international beauty bloggers and media, developing seasonal hooks for maximum PR impact.

• Annual PR Strategy: Based on corporate objectives, responsible for full-year international PR strategy for the key target international markets, including global ‘big ideas’, individual PR strategies for spa, luxury suites, Weddings and F&B special events, in collaboration with Marketing and Operations executives. Writing strategy, conceiving partnerships, managing compilation and dissemination of monthly reports, ongoing analysis of coverage and maintenance of the global media database. Executed PR activities, initiatives and events within each market. Developed strategic and tactical PR plans to promote brand across global TV, Film, Radio, Publications, Social and Online. Managed department budget.
• Team Management: Managed and mentored eight team members including PR managers, Assistant Mangers, PROs, Work Experience and Management Trainees with regular reviews and 6 PR agencies, working with 40 Heads of Department.
• Press office: Main point of contact for international media. Responded quickly and accurately to day-to-day journalist enquiries and accommodation requests, focusing on top-tier media. Maintained a database of key media contacts in local and global markets, developed a media relations program.
• Crisis Communications: Main contact for crisis communications in Dubai, pro-actively anticipated and identified reputation matters liaising directly with the VPs of departments (to gather facts, creation of reactive media statements/Q&A, field incoming media requests). Provided crisis management support and guidance to senior staff.
• Sponsorship: Identified and developed sponsorship strategies in line with PR strategy to target new audiences for luxury suites, including events such as Chelsea Flower Show, Royal Ascot, Henley Regatta, in line with corporate objectives to raise awareness, increase sales and leverage corporate image.
• International Media/Blogger Relations: Cultivated strong relationships with top-tier travel/trade, business, consumer press and bloggers. Secured regular meetings with editors to secure features. Proactively pitched relevant news.
• Press materials: Prepared and supervised development, approvals and updating of press kit materials, including press releases, fact sheets, bios, backgrounders, briefing documents, QAs and PR materials.
• Strategic cross-departmental working: Worked closely with GM, sales, marketing, online and departmental teams to understand key markets, product offering and multiple complex departments to identify and promote key messages to ensure PR activity is aligned with the strategic PR plan to promote to external parties globally (online, print and broadcast media and celebrity). Worked with operations on development of on-going media opportunities.
• Content Marketing: Oversaw content including Atlantis blog, facebook and web content management, strategising for owned and earned media.
• PR Planning/Measurement: Measured results of PR campaigns/programmes in alignment with KPIs, focused on top-tier media and feature story press coverage in key markets. Regularly prepared PR evaluation reports following the successful completion of PR campaigns. Prepared strategic plans for board meetings, initiated and evaluated online PR campaigns to ensure strong presence for Atlantis in all relevant platforms.
• Media Relations and Event Management: Built strong media relations globally as well as celebrity relations. Coordinated and hosted international press visits, press conferences and special events e.g. Launch of ShuiQi Spa and Fitness Centre, World’s First Designer Easter Egg with Faberge and Julien MacDonald.
• Celebrity endorsements: Targeted International A*brand ambassadors. Managed celebrity stays and negotiated coverage via print and social media.
• Awards: Coordinated entry to international luxury hotel awards. Proactively pitched for relevant speaking opportunities for ATP spokespeople across key trade media regionally and internationally.

Aviva, English Heritage, New Look, D&D, Grant Thornton, M&S, McDonald's
Role Highlights:
•Digital/Social PR: Solid digital, traditional PR and content creation experience. Deep understanding of social media and word of mouth news generation (including Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn). Good knowledge of the latest digital tools, technologies and capabilities. Strong experience working with online media, social networks, blogs and online communities. Promoting digital branded content products including mobile apps and Ipad magazines to tech journalists and bloggers.
•Strategic PR: Provided strategic advice on media relations and social media profile building and promoting clients branded content magazines and social media campaigns via consumer press. Responsible for implementing external media plans for digital/mobile/new media and print projects-forming part of the overall marketing plan. Managed the communications planning and process, supporting the team to develop proactive international PR strategies whilst identifying newsworthy content, developing thought leadership features, and identifying speaker opportunities. Developed key messages in-line with strategy. Established PR KPIs and new promotional channels. Produced monthly board coverage reports.
Day to day PR: Determined priorities for day-to-day media activities to help shape long-term priorities. Managed PR budget (£15k) and social media channels. Media trained Directors. Researched media and internal sources for proactive news production and content creation. Reviewed website and managed news stories online, working alongside web team. Worked with a variety departments internally and with various B2B and B2C press to promote client work.
•Events: Identified critical networking, speaker and guestblogging opportunities (MediaGuardian Summit, iStrategy Digital Conference, Wan-Ifra Europe, International Content Marketing Awards). Organised strategic company and media events including Content Revolution as part of Internet Week Europe.
•Awards: Identified industry awards and managed award process to raise corporate profile, including APAs, CIM Awards, Marketing Society Awards, BIMA, DADI, IoICs, LOVIEs.
•Media and blogger relationships: Managed relationships with PR agencies, bloggers and journalists, identifying influencers and transforming them into advocates


•Achievements:
•Increased press coverage by 500%. Prolific coverage in TechCrunch, Mashable, Daily Mail, Guardian, Food and Drink network, Marketing, Campaign, Media Week, UtalkMarketing. Built strong media relationships in the marketing field.
•Created PR department and process. Achieved increased brand awareness across current and new channels globally, with increased web traffic, whilst raising the profile of key staff and initiatives.
•Provided innovative communications tailored to suit a variety of audiences.
•Quadrupled number of industry award entries and wins.

B2C/Corporate
Role Highlights:
•PR: Developed and implemented PR strategy. Responsible for in-house beauty and profile PR, as well as media relations. In charge of press-related material including press releases, features, speeches, editorials, quotes and responses to media enquiries. Acted as a national media spokesperson. Managed social media and corporate e-newsletter.
•Strategic Marketing and Branding: Solely responsibility for marketing strategy to raise profile of brand and exploit all available marketing channels across print, broadcast and web. Responsible for a range of marketing campaigns and literature, produced corporate collateral for successful negotiations with QVC and Superdrug. Lead team to research audience and develop luxury brand into affordable concept for mass audiences.
•Responsible for project managing and day to day organisation of marketing campaigns and loyalty initiatives, including budget management (10k), supplier relations, as well as monitoring of successes. Worked with agencies on VM displays, POS, branding overhaul, packaging design, web design.
•Partnerships: Developed marketing opportunities, including campaigns involving partners including London Fashion Week, Vogue, Britain's Next Top Model.
•Digital Marketing: Created agency briefs for SEO using Google Analytics/Trends and link building, and web. Worked with digital team on website, e-newsletter production, design and online marketing.
Achievements:
•Prolific coverage of brand in Prima, Glamour, Vogue, Topshop, She, Zest, Women's Fitness, Evening
Standard, Channel 5 News and increased web traffic.
•Successful strategy development, resulting in increased brand awareness nationally and internationally
•Coverage has resulted in international celebrity clientele.
•Positive negotiations with QVC and Superdrug for new product lines.

B2B/Corporate/B2C
Clients: Luxury sectors, Diamond, Gold, Pearl, Energy, Tea, Cotton, Steel, Finance, Tourism
(Opportunity to work abroad

Clients: Asian Business Awards, National Wedding Show, Western Union, Ruby &Millie Makeup, Celebrities, several Bollywood films
Role Highlights:
•Worked with PR Newswire. Account managed high profile accounts, meeting clients regularly to update
with monthly reports and coverage packs.
•Press releases and feature writing, managed production schedules, interviews and copy for newsletters
•Achieved full page coverage in the Metro, Guardian, Times, BBC Radio, Sky News
•Devised the marketing strategy for clients and lead the team on brand development. Participated in pitches.

Researched and pitched PR/Sponsorship opportunities and events for TV coverage, responsible for
production of marketing plan.
•Web content management of daily bulletins. Identifying and securing new celebrity ambassadors.
•Secured red carpet coverage of high profile celebrities including Tom Cruise and Pierce Brosnan.